overseeding a lawn

When and how does one overseed a lawn? and what sort of quantity of seed should I use per Mtr? should it be scarified first?
It's not intended to be a bowling green but I would like a half decent lawn. It was only sown 14 months ago.
Thanks up front Eric

 

Hi Eric,

I'd be concerned that a lawn just over a year old has thinned already.

Did it ever get going and start to thicken, or has it always been thin?

Try to find out why your grass is not doing well first and try to sort that out, because over-seeding without fixing a problem won't help.

Is it shady, compacted (hard soil) or acidic? Also when did your sow it? (14 months ago would be Jan 2012 ... which maybe the reason it didn't get going!)

Kris

 

Sorry Kris I misled you there Iv'e lost track of time it was about Aug 2012 and it's grown really well, but I have been reading the odd book and keep seeing references to overseeding as part of lawn maintenance didn't undestand quite what was ment hence the question

 

Apart from fixing "bald patches" - perhaps caused by clearing moss and thatch etc. leaving the lawn a "bit thin" the book was probably referring to continuing to encourage specific fine grasses. Fine grasses (for that bowling green look ) are not as strong as meadow grasses, so if you get some of the rougher grasses in your lawn you an mow frequently - the rough grasses don't like being chopped down all the time, the fine grasses are perfectly happy with that, and you can sow more seed - so called "over seeding".

if you don't have bald patches, and your lawn is nice but not bowling green, you can probably ignore over seeding.

 

Hi Eric.

Not to worry.
I wouldn't be concerned at all. Your new grass will only have started to get going before the winter cold temperatures slowed down the its growth. It will now have been putting down lots of healthy roots over the winter and is ready to spring into life any day now.
In a couple of weeks give it a nice balanced feed (not necessarily a weed 'n' feed, as it's best not to put any weed killers down on new grass), something like Growmore or a dedicated lawn fertiliser would be best.
Then mow it nice and high through the season and by July it should start to become lovely and thick.

New lawns always take a lot longer than you expect. I always give my new ones a year before I even look at doing anything else.

Hope this helps

Kris